First 100 hours

[toasty]

Well, the new Congress with the dems in charge is underway. Here's the agenda out of the gate:

The first 100 hours

January 4, 2007

House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi and her top aides have outlined a full agenda for Democrats' first 100 legislative hours in power, starting after members of the 110th Congress are sworn in today. Pelosi has vowed to complete work on those items before President Bush delivers his State of the Union address on Jan. 23.

Today and tomorrow

Ethics and lobbying reform, including ban on gifts and travel paid for by lobbying organizations, and a requirement that all privately funded travel be pre-approved by the House Ethics Committee.

Earmark reform, including a requirement that House members publicly acknowledge special projects they are seeking.

"Pay-as-you-go" budgeting, requiring any increase in spending to be offset with a revenue enhancement or budget cut.

Week of Jan. 8

Enact 9/11 Commission recommendations, including enhanced cargo screening and ensuring better communication among first responders to emergencies.

Increase the federal minimum wage, from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour.

Expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, overriding the president's restrictions on such funding.

Permit Medicare to negotiate with drug companies, to bring potentially lower prices to program participants.

Week of Jan. 15

Cut student loan interest rates in half.

Repeal tax cuts for big oil companies, to create a pool to fund renewable energy initiatives.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/01/04/the_first_100_hours/

Thoughts?

[superdave]

Re: First 100 hours

Only thing that interests me and a good things is the raising of the minimum wage. That should've been done a long time ago.

What about discussing change in Iraq and Darfur? Sure you don't get things accomplished on those two tough subjects in a few days, but those are huge topics. A fresh perspective on Iraq imo is how the Democrats got elected in the first place.

[rubyraks]

Re: First 100 hours

I'll take it week by week...

Today and tomorrow

Ethics and lobbying reform, including ban on gifts and travel paid for by lobbying organizations, and a requirement that all privately funded travel be pre-approved by the House Ethics Committee.

Earmark reform, including a requirement that House members publicly acknowledge special projects they are seeking.

"Pay-as-you-go" budgeting, requiring any increase in spending to be offset with a revenue enhancement or budget cut.

I'm a huge fan of lobbying reform...in fact I wish we'd as a country finally decide that privately funded campaigns is a bad thing and shift towards a publicly funded campaign, where each candidate gets a limited amount of funds to spend and a limited amount of air time (including print media).

Special projects reform, very good move...in fact I hope the first thing they get rid of is Ted Steven's bullshit pork barrel project of a $325 million bridge in alaska for 50 residents...hell I'd rather give each of em a boat, which would cost less than the bridge.

Pay as you go budgeting, I like the idea, but am damn afraid of where all those funds alloted to Iraq go after we withdraw or cut back on troops...frankly, I don't trust them.

Week of Jan. 8

Enact 9/11 Commission recommendations, including enhanced cargo screening and ensuring better communication among first responders to emergencies.

Increase the federal minimum wage, from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour.

Expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, overriding the president's restrictions on such funding.

Permit Medicare to negotiate with drug companies, to bring potentially lower prices to program participants.

Here's where I get a little more afraid. 9/11 recommendations need to be implemented, but I'm afraid of how they've picked and choosed which to implement and which to continue to ignore.

minmum wage does need to go up

good luck with that stem cell funding...far from enough votes to override the impending veto.

As for the medicare, I'm not sure exactly what they intend to do here, but if I had my wish on the top two legislation to rollback from the past 6 years, they'd be the bankruptcy bill, which was fuckin written by the banking industry and is a hell of a gift to them and the medicare reform bill, which is a hell of gimme to the pharmys and might as well have been written by them as well.

Week of Jan. 15

Cut student loan interest rates in half.

Repeal tax cuts for big oil companies, to create a pool to fund renewable energy initiatives.

I'd love for my fuckin student loans to have the interest cut. Truthfully I've watched them go up and up and not necessarily in line with general interest rates. But aside from my own greedy motives, we seriously need to be looking towards educating our society better and if this is one way to promote it then I wish them the best. We have been quickly falling behind many other countries in the world to the point of embarassment and if we don't stop the bleeding now, we'll just be speeding up the inevitable fall of our economic leadership and power.

oil companies...well all you really need to do is look at the deals that they've been able to make with our government in regards to taxes and royalties. It's pathetic the extent to which they get breaks and continue to break record after record year after year and for those who'll begin arguing that they're making up for unprofitable years past, that's just utter bullshit because even at the worst the oil companies are still at the top of the profit charts every year.

All in all, a lot of interesting ideas, but frankly I don't trust them. One of those looks good on paper, now let's see what they're actually able to accomplish.

[toasty]

Re: First 100 hours

What about discussing change in Iraq and Darfur? Sure you don't get things accomplished on those two tough subjects in a few days, but those are huge topics.

I think you've answered your own question. Those are both massive topics that have the potential to really bog things down and -- as they should -- require a great deal of thought, debate and deliberation. I think the strategy is to hit a few things quickly in the "first 100 hours" that are less contentious before tackling issues that are likely to take a while. My opinion, FWIW.

[88Mariner]

Re: First 100 hours

Only thing that interests me and a good things is the raising of the minimum wage. That should've been done a long time ago.

how many times did you fail remedial econ 101?

[thesightless]

Re: First 100 hours

the only thg i see here is one party sayying fuck you to the other, and on top of that, does nancy pelosi actually think the republicans will aloow anything that she rams through to be passed in the senate>? the republicans will hold up everything and it will be a tit for tat BS 3 months of government until she allows the republicans back into the fray.

fuck her, fuck bush, fuck em all.

[rubyraks]

Re: First 100 hours

^sounds like you're in a good mood today

[thesightless]

Re: First 100 hours

im sitting in brooklyn, and spent the last hour arguing with a union rep over hours for employees because i sent 4 guys home today and they filed a complaint. they wanted to be paid today because for once in their lives they actually worked hard and finished a job ahead of the time, and my client didnt have work ready for them.

that and i have to hear how the new government is going to change things like lowering interest rates on students when in all reality, we know they wont and cant. you cannot change a privately negotiated contract within the law unless you change the law. so my payment will reamin the same.

im also listening to how they will work together by shutting the repubs out of the house for the first 2 months. yeah right.

not to mention shit that bush will veto right off and the senate wont allow to go through. (stem cell research)

the minimum wage raise is stupid. instead of that, try forcing ppl to learn a real life job skill instead of relying on others. the only way it will get through is that if they enact the RIGHT laws along with it, like small business tax breaks and payroll tax reductions. cuz, everyone with a college degrfee knows that if employer X suddenly has to pay more, his, and my first move is to cut hours big time.

and in regards to today's big mission..... ethics reform... they all wanna tell us things, like im innocent, but they are all guilty, go check ms pelosi's fundraising if you dont beleive me. it will be soft, and cater to large employee groups so they can continue unherded in thier ways while she comes out and tells us how big business got out of government, but wait, only certain businesses. COMON dont be stupid look through all this shit. nothing positive is going to happen, and a lot of ppl are going to be pissed off and i guarantee the economy dips within the next 5 months.

fuck em all.im out. i actually have work to do today.

[toasty]

Re: First 100 hours

that and i have to hear how the new government is going to change things like lowering interest rates on students when in all reality, we know they wont and cant. you cannot change a privately negotiated contract within the law unless you change the law. so my payment will reamin the same.

Well, I had kinda assumed that this legislation would only apply to new loans. Apart from the problems of upsetting a privately negotiated contract you mentioned, many of these loans have been sold on the secondary market, maybe multiple times, or consolidated, so making retroactive changes would be a colossal clusterfuck.

I think ruby's right, though, that doing something to make getting a quality education easier for people is extremely important, or we're going to continue to lag behind the world. At least facially, this seems like a step in the right direction.

not to mention shit that bush will veto right off and the senate wont allow to go through. (stem cell research)

the minimum wage raise is stupid. instead of that, try forcing ppl to learn a real life job skill instead of relying on others. the only way it will get through is that if they enact the RIGHT laws along with it, like small business tax breaks and payroll tax reductions. cuz, everyone with a college degrfee knows that if employer X suddenly has to pay more, his, and my first move is to cut hours big time.

Let him veto it. Sometimes these things don't happen overnight, sometimes you've got to poke the bear for a while. Eventually, it'll get through.

the minimum wage raise is stupid. instead of that, try forcing ppl to learn a real life job skill instead of relying on others. the only way it will get through is that if they enact the RIGHT laws along with it, like small business tax breaks and payroll tax reductions. cuz, everyone with a college degrfee knows that if employer X suddenly has to pay more, his, and my first move is to cut hours big time.

I'm not for handouts and I believe in survival of the fittest, but c'mon, $5.15 an hour? Even before taxes, a 40-hour work week would earn you $206. That's just ridiculous. I've spent more than that in an evening more times than I'd care to report. Sure, let's do what we can to help small businesses (and big businesses, for that matter), but it shouldn't come at the expense of the employees. The minimum wage has fallen well behind the CPI, so a bump is long overdue, IMO.

[rubyraks]

Re: First 100 hours

regarding your last point I found this chart fairly enlightening:



and the article interesting as well: http://www.economist.com/daily/news/...57&top_story=1

[subterFUSE]

Re: First 100 hours

Less than 2% of workers in the USA make the minimum wage. Raising the wage will likely result in layoffs and reduced hours.

[toasty]

Re: First 100 hours

Less than 2% of workers in the USA make the minimum wage. Raising the wage will likely result in layoffs and reduced hours.

At least 29 states have already raised the minimum wage on their own above the federal level. Any evidence that that has actually happened?

[BSully828]

Re: First 100 hours



This has serious photoshop potential.

[rubyraks]

Re: First 100 hours

Less than 2% of workers in the USA make the minimum wage. Raising the wage will likely result in layoffs and reduced hours.

At least 29 states have already raised the minimum wage on their own above the federal level. Any evidence that that has actually happened?

It's interesting how so many are quick to claim that a higher minimum wage would lead to unemployment and yet every single study of this I've found shows there were little if any effect on unemployment (in fact many state's with higher rates saw decreases in unemployment).

In my humble opinion, I suggest that these numbers are explained by:

a) with a higher minimum wage (and one that's actually a livable), the unemployed are more apt and willing to get the jobs available at that rate

b) employers may be helped out by getting better productivity and hence the added wages are recouped

c) employers could actually afford the higher wages regardless of their arguing against it

just some thoughts off the top of my head...

[subterFUSE]

Re: First 100 hours

Don't take my word for it.

http://www.epionline.org/oped_detail.cfm?oid=48

http://www.acton.org/ppolicy/comment/article.php?id=336

http://www.nationalcenter.org/WCT010207MinimumWage.html

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm1176.cfm

http://www.mises.org/story/2130

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/16/opinion/main1901101.shtml